


Speak Now

by seventeenwonders



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/F, Slow Burn, Useless Lesbians, lin is in denial, young kyalin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:27:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26201890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seventeenwonders/pseuds/seventeenwonders
Summary: It was a game, it was their game; a defense carefully crafted by both of them over the years to keep away the real feelings and- “Nope. Not going down that road again, somethings are better left untouched.”, Kya thought. So yes, they played, because playing was easier.ORKya visits Republic City and has no choice but to stay at Tenzin and Lin's apartment. A really terrible decision, especially when you're in love with your (almost) sister-in-law.
Relationships: Lin Beifong/Kya II, Lin Beifong/Tenzin
Comments: 64
Kudos: 170





	1. Stay, Stay, Stay

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is my first fic ever and english is not my native language, so I'm sorry for any grammatical errors that I may have missed. I hope you enjoy this!

Kya threw her hand across the bed, towards the nightstand, vainly hoping that she could destroy that _goddamned_ alarm. _“What an ungodly hour to wake up”_ , the waterbender thought to herself. _“Of course Lin and Tenzin would set an alarm to… Six a.m.”_ She chuckled. Obviously, it didn’t help that she had gotten home at 2 a.m., drunk. Her hangover was killing her, but the healer knew she’d need a couple of drinks if she was to stay at Tenzin and Lin’s for a few days.

Well, don’t get Kya wrong, she loved her little brother, but he could be a bit… strict. And Lin Beifong? The recently promoted sergeant of Republic City's force police? She… was a straight-up pain in the ass, there was no way to sugarcoat it. God, it was six in the fucking morning and Kya was already craving for a drink only by the reminder on who her new housemate was. _“It’s just until Avatar Day, it’s just until Avatar Day.”,_ she kept whispering to herself like a mantra.

Apparently, Air Temple Island would be accommodating some pretty important politicians who really wanted to talk to the Avatar about some pretty important stuff, and since Kya did not own an apartment in Republic City because of her world travels, Tenzin had offered a room at his. The only thing he conveniently forgot to mention was that Kya wouldn’t be the only woman there. After years of bargaining, the airbender _finally_ convinced his girlfriend to move in with him. Kya wasn’t really sure if she was feeling nauseous because of all the alcohol she drank or just the thought of that specific happy couple made her want to puke. Maybe both.

The brunette got up with a groan. She had promised Katara some help with the celebration’s preparations and Kya knew if she wanted a ride to her parents’ house, she would need to get out of bed and talk to Tenzin right now.

The waterbender stepped out of the guest room and made her way to the toilet, where an unpleasing sight expected her; her own reflection. Kya was too drunk to take off her makeup the night before so she was, very clearly, a mess now. She brushed her teeth and sprawled cold water on her face, trying to look at least _decent,_ but it was pretty obvious by the look on Lin’s face at the kitchen that the waterbender had not made a good job at trying to erase last night’s events.

"Fun night, huh?" The metalbender’s voice dripped with disapproval. Lin Beifong sat across the table at her new apartment with her full uniform on. She was reading the morning paper while drinking coffee as black as (in Kya’s opinion) her soul, looking at the older woman once before returning to her journal. 

"Wouldn’t _you_ like to know?" Kya winked at her and got closer to the sergeant until the Beifong’s attention was entirely on her, and before Lin could process what was happening, Kya took the coffee out of her hands and drank the rest of it, leaving an incredulous police officer and an empty cup behind, while searching for something to eat.

The waterbender learned this was the only fun way to deal with Lin: flirt and make inappropriate comments that were sure to piss the other woman off while her cheeks turned red. It was such a delightful sight; the woman dealt with dangerous criminals all day long but couldn’t handle some light flirtation. When Kya turned to face the metalbender once more, she looked even grumpier than usual and the blush on her face was not fading.

"Where’s my dearest brother?" Kya asked after a few moments in which her chewing sounds and Lin’s furious page-turning were the only things to be heard.

"He left earlier this morning, had some airbending stuff to take care of." The sergeant replied dryly. "He asked me, however, to drop you off at Air Temple Island and…" She glanced at the watch on her wrist. "You have exactly three minutes and 27 seconds to get ready, otherwise I’m leaving you here and heading to the station."

Kya dropped the cereal bar she was eating and cursed Lin. "Were you planning on telling me this?!" She snapped at the other woman. Kya already knew the answer: no, she was not, she was probably trying to prove a point to Tenzin or to herself that Kya could not get ready on time.

"You’ve got three minutes and 24 seconds now… 23… 22…" Lin’s voice followed her to her room. Unfortunately, Kya knew the earthbender wasn’t bluffing. She quickly took off her pajamas and put on her usual blue dress, trying to braid her hair as fast as she could, but Kya probably made it even messier than before.

"I’m ready!" She screamed and ran towards the kitchen, stopping the door from closing with her foot. Lin let out a frustrated sigh but opened the door and let Kya get out of the house. It looked like she was going to be her ride after all.

"Don’t look so upset, Sarge. You’ll get more time staring at my beautiful face with those outraged green eyes of yours." She smirked and started walking, being followed by a boiling Lin. Kya was pretty sure that if Lin was a firebender, the hallway temperature would’ve increased a few degrees. _“Too bad she isn’t, though I think the second I said “hot” and “Lin” in the same sentence she probably would’ve combusted.”_

It was all a game, Kya realized. They both used the best weapons in their arsenals and they knew _exactly_ where to hit the other one. Kya was adventurous and didn’t bother to hide her provocative side, while Lin was firm and a total rule-follower (much like Kya’s brother). So, Kya flirted with her to get a reaction out of Lin, and Lin had no problem reminding her over and over again how lazy and irresponsible she was. It was a game, it was _their_ game; a defense carefully crafted by both of them over the years to keep away the real feelings and- _“Nope. Not going down_ that _road again, somethings are better left untouched.”_ So yes, they played, because playing was easier.

* * *

The trip to the docks was more or less silent, the only sounds coming from Kya’s mouth were some ridiculous lyrics from the pop song playing on the radio and she was just humming along to that stupid music to get under Lin’s skin, although she was surprisingly failing. Sure, Lin rolled her eyes and huffed, but the metalbender hasn’t told Kya to shut up, which was quite strange. She was distracted, the waterbender noticed. But with what? The police officer wasn’t someone known to daydream, especially in traffic, so that was an unusual scene.

"Alright, what’s on your mind?" Kya stopped singing and for the first time all morning, she was being serious. But apparently, Lin disliked serious-Kya as much as flirtatious-Kya.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about." Lin answered, hoping the other woman would come back to singing her hippie songs and leave her alone.

"C’mon, even though you hate to admit it, I’ve known you your whole life and I can see when something is bothering the _great_ Lin Beifong." Okay, she tried, but there was something about the earthbender that made it impossible for Kya not to pick on her.

Lin turned her head slightly, observing the healer out of the corner of her eyes. _Yes, something was bothering_ her, but Kya would be the last person on Earth Lin would try to get help on _this_ particular matter. She remained silent, praying to the spirits Kya would let it go and they both could forget for the rest of the day the other one even existed.

" _Linnyyyyy_ , are you really not telling me what’s going on?" Kya used the nickname Bumi had invented for the metalbender when they were all kids, trying to get a reaction out of Lin; she knew how much the sergeant hated when he and Kya called her that (Tenzin was too much in love with her to ever use that stupid name, so it was up to Kya, Bumi and eventually Su to get on her nerves).

"For Raava’s sake, you’re _so_ unbearable! You know that, right?"

"Oh, but you still offered your house for me to crash in, so I’m not entirely sure you think I am as unbearable as you say." Kya couldn’t help the smile growing on her face, she tried to control it, but annoying Lin was, perhaps, her favorite hobby in Republic City.

"It was Tenzin’s idea." Those were the only words that came out of Lin’s mouth. She was already pretty stressed out and it wasn’t even 7:30 a.m. Kya let out a small, sarcastic laugh and stared even more intensely at Lin. She saw how her fingers were almost white from gripping the steering wheel too hard.

"So what? Would rather see me sleeping on Air Temple Island’s floor?" She asked, covering the small fear on her voice with yet another laugh.

"At the moment?" Lin took her eyes off the traffic and glanced at Kya. "Yes, I would, if I’m being completely honest." She said and didn’t look at Kya long enough to see her reaction. Spirits, Lin was so impatient and anxious and Kya was making everything worse.

"Well, don’t worry, Sarge." The waterbender let out after a few tense and silent seconds. "I’ll be out of your way tonight." She didn’t know where she was going, but the whole situation was _too much_ and it was already starting to mess her aura up.

Neither of them said a word for minutes that felt like hours, but Kya saw something that needed Lin’s attention.

"Uhmm… Lin? Should that man be doing that?" She pointed to a firebender who seemed to threaten a woman across the street. Nor Kya or Lin could distinguish what they were saying, but the way flames salted from his hands to the girl’s side while she was holding her purse close to her chest was a sign clear enough.

"Fuck." Lin murmured while pulling the sato-mobile over. She got off the car with her metal cables in hand, turning to Kya with a preoccupied look. " **Stay** in the car." When Kya opened her mouth to protest, Lin was gone, jumping right into danger. It was not up for debate then.

Kya sank further on the passenger’s seat, crossing her arms over her chest and letting out an exasperated sigh. She was fully aware that Lin could handle herself, she has had the best metalbender mentor after all, but it still irritated her that Lin didn’t seem to think the same of Kya. Sure, Toph was the greatest earthbender of all time, but Katara was a warrior as good as the Beifong matriarch, and guess what? She was Kya’s instructor, so Kya knew how to hold herself in front of danger. Not to mention, her father was the _Avatar_ , there was no reason for Lin’s protective behavior.

When Kya turned her eyes to the scene once more, the metalbender seemed to have the situation under control, the cables had done their job on tying the firebender’s hands and Lin looked like she was about to contact the station for reinforcements to take the criminal to jail. While doing all of that, she tried to calm the victim down and explain to her she’d need to accompany them to press charges. Lin was too busy to notice another man sneaking up on her, but Kya was not. She jolted out of Lin’s sato-mobile and bent the water she always carried with her into ice knives, that were immediately redirect to the other man’s clothes. She pinned him to the ground, knowing that this wouldn’t last too long and he would free himself, but it gave Lin enough time to see that she was almost attacked from behind.

She pushed the young girl out of the way and lifted a wall around the firebender, so he couldn’t escape while she and Kya took care of the other guy. As was predicted by the waterbender, he had freed himself and was ready to hurt her, but Lin moved faster, kicking his kneecaps and unbalancing him. The man once again fell to the ground and as soon as he appeared, he was defeated. The police officer tied his wrists in a similar way to the firebender’s and went to check if the victim was hurt in any way.

"You’re welcome!" Kya said as she approached the two women talking. She could see the girl’s face with clarity for the first time now, her black hair and golden eyes indicated she was Fire Nation, but the tanned skin screamed Water Tribe. One of the most remarkable things about Republic City was that everyone born here was a direct descendent from more than one nation, making them part of every one of them and none at the same time.

Lin rolled her eyes at Kya for what seemed like the hundredth time this morning and turned to her after making sure Hanye (as she learned was the victim’s name) hadn’t sustained any injuries.

"I _told you_ to stay in the car." Lin put her hands on her hips, annoyed that Kya disobeyed direct orders (she was ignoring the fact that Kya didn’t work for her and had just saved her life).

"I’m aware there are more ways than one to show gratitude, but I don’t like where this is going. Y’know, I could give you a tip or two on how to _thoroughly_ thank a woman after she just saved your neck if-"

Kya’s insinuation was cut in half as they all heard the police task arriving. Lin glanced at Kya with a look that was clearly stating _“if you open your mouth, I_ will _kill you.”,_ so the waterbender tried her best to hide the grin on her lips.

"Sargeant Beifong, what’s the situation?" A young man, even younger than Lin, asked as he and two other officers approached. _“Rookies”,_ Kya thought. Lin wouldn’t have contacted someone above her for something as trivial as a robbery.

"These two men tried to mug Ms. Hanye over here. Take them to the station and make the miss as comfortable as possible before she's ready to press charges, Kya and I will be following you right behind." She shot with a confident voice Kya has never heard her use before. It just occurred to her that in the twenty-something years they’ve known each other, the waterbender has never _actually_ seen Lin doing her job. And most importantly, she has never seen Lin bossing someone around like that (Tenzin didn’t count). She didn’t know how to feel about this new-found information.

"Won’t you accompany us? I mean, how did you even get here?" The young man said with a defiant tone and Kya would’ve been pissed at someone talking to Lin like that, if she weren’t busy feeling sorry for him. Lin was many things, but she wasn´t one to let her authority be questioned.

"Did you not listen? I’ll be following you _closely._ Are three employees of Republic City’s Force Police not capable of handling two _robbers,_ one of which were thrown into the ground by a civilian with no training whatsoever?" She pointed at Kya while saying this. The waterbender wanted to protest and say she had as much training as Lin, but this clearly wasn’t the time. "Because if that’s the case, if you’re afraid of driving two minor criminals to headquarters after they’ve been neutralized, then you’re in the wrong job and I would have to rethink very carefully on your ability to protect this city. So, tell me, officer, is that the case?"

"N-no, ma’am." The guy had the decency of looking embarrassed. He directed the criminals to the sato-mobile and lead Ms. Hanye to the front seat.

Lin went to her own vehicle, followed by Kya. As soon as they were driving across the capital’s streets again, Kya broke the silence.

"You don’t have to treat me like I’m a damsel in distress." Lin let out a sigh at the sound of her voice. And here she was thinking this would be a quiet ride…

"I am not. Sorry for what I said back then, but I had to be harsh on those officers, it’s the only authority they’ve learned to respect."

"This is not about what you said to them. I get it, being Toph’s daughter and trying to prove you deserve to be where you are… Believe it or not, I know a thing or two about having powerful parents." Kya said, sarcastically. "What I’m talking about is how you doubted my abilities and asked me to stay in the car while you dealt with people who could hurt you."

The look Lin gave Kya was one for the history books; her expression was pure disbelief, like the older woman had just said the dumbest thing ever.

"Kya, I didn’t doubt your fighting skills. You used to give me one hell of a time whenever we fought as kids, why would I, out of all people, think you’re incapable of protecting yourself?"

"Oh… Then why didn’t you let me help you?"

Lin sighed, once again.

"Because now I’m gonna have to take your statement." She hesitated before adding the next part. "And inform the Chief there was a civilian involved in the crime scene."

* * *

The headquarters of Republic City’s force police was a place Kya had never envisioned herself entering, at least not on the cops’ side (Raava knows how many times she was almost arrested while protesting across the city). The ornaments on the walls were all made of metal; a constant reminder of the true power amongst the employees.

Lin was already in the interrogation room with the criminals she had arrested, and the young man that defied her authority was taking Hanye's statement right after Kya herself had given them hers. She was waiting for Lin until an all too familiar voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Sugar Queen 2.0? What are you doing here?"

Kya turned on her heels when she heard the terrible nickname her aunt had given her. The things Bumi and her called Lin were nothing when compared to the infuriating names the metalbender had invented for each member of their family.

"Aunt Toph, how many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?" She said, smiling, while approaching the woman for a hug. As annoying as the nickname was, she missed hearing the endearing term.

Toph gave her a quick hug, still suspicious of why Katara’s daughter was at the station.

"I would guess the only way you were setting foot on here was with some handcuffs on, but I can’t sense any metal on you. So, why the hell are you here? I thought you ran off into the sunset to “find yourself” or some hippie crap like that."

"Well, didn’t Lin tell you? I’m staying at Tenzin and hers until Avatar Day. Y’know, rent is not cheap, _especially_ when you’re only in town for a week or two all year, so-"

She was interrupted by heavy footsteps approaching. Lin looked at her and then at her mother and as much as she tried to hide it, Kya saw on her face that this was not how she wanted that encounter to go.

"Chief." Lin greeted her mom.

"Sargeant." Toph answered. "Kya here was just explaining to me what the hell she thinks she’s doing at my job, but I think you could give me a much better explanation."

Lin shot a look at her as cold as ice, but Kya just raised her hands and mouthed _“I didn’t say anything.”_ Lin took a deep breath and told her mom about what happened. Toph didn’t look impressed.

"You should’ve handled the situation yourself. Do you know what would’ve happened if a civilian had been hurt while trying to do _your_ job? The amount of paperwork behind an accident like this?"

"Well, the civilian in question didn’t leave me much of a choice."

"There is _always_ a choice. You should’ve thought quicker, turned around faster, seen that second attacker coming. You were not trained to be as _blind_ was you acted today."

Kya has had enough. She has always seen how harsh Toph was at her daughters, but this wasn’t Lin’s fault.

"Aw Aunt, don’t be a cranky old lady!" The waterbender intervened. "We all know how I used to kick Lin’s butt when we were children, so I just thought that I would give her a hand, for old time’s sake."

It was Toph’s turn of taking a deep breath.

"You know, kid… Sometimes you speak just like your father.' Kya smiled at that. But then Toph shoved a finger on her face. "But you know better than meddling with police’s affairs, even your uncle doesn’t do it. Next time, I’m arresting you and not even the original Sugar Queen will change my mind, are we clear?"

Kya bent over and kissed her aunt on the cheek, which was retributed with a groan.

"Yes, very much! Have I told you today you’re my favorite aunt?"

Toph huffed.

"You just wait till Suki hears that…" And with that, she was gone, leaving Kya and Lin by themselves.

Lin cleared her throat, but Kya spoke first.

"I know how to get to the docks from here, so don’t worry about the ride." She turned to leave, but Lin grabbed her by the wrist, stopping her. Kya looked at her arm, a bit shocked, then looked at Lin’s face, which was getting redder by the second. The metalbender let go of her wrist, treading her fingers nervously on her dark hair. It has been _ages_ since Kya had seen the younger woman flustered like that.

"I’m…" The metalbender didn’t quite know where to start. "Thank you. Really. Toph can be…" She didn’t finish her sentence, but Kya nodded, understanding. "And for helping me out there too. Thanks."

"Sure, anytime." Kya could feel her own heart beating faster and prayed for whichever spirit that was guarding her, that Lin couldn’t feel it through her seismic sight. Kya was leaving once again, but once again, Lin stopped her.

"Stay." She said. Kya gave her a confused look. Stay at the station? Were the other officers so unqualified that Lin needed the help of hippie to catch the bad guys? "At the house, I mean." Realizing what she had implied, the metalbender corrected herself quickly. "I get it if you wanna leave, but I could pick up some food so we don’t have to face Tenzin’s terrible attempt at airbender dinner." She offered, sincerely. Kya swallowed dryly. After the morning’s events, she had completely forgotten about her promise of leaving the house.

The waterbender gave her the earnest of smiles, saying without hesitation:

"I would love to."

And with that, she finally exited the station. What she didn’t know was that smile would be on her lips until sunset.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not really sure if anyone even read this far, but, if you did, lemme know your thoughts! Thanks so much for reading.


	2. Getaway Car

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens.

**10 years ago**

_Lin jumped out of the boat, right into Air Temple Island’s firm ground. For the first time in a week, she could_ really _breathe without the suffocating grasp of confusion tightening around her neck. She walked a few steps before recognizing the tall figure that was waiting, at the top of the stairs, for her. Relief washed through the metalbender’s soul and she felt like crying from happiness just at the sight of Tenzin. Tenzin, the patient, and caring friend. Tenzin, who had confessed his feelings for her. Tenzin, her safest bet. She went running towards his arms and pulled him into a tight embrace (as tight as the invisible hands of guilt that were wrapped all over her body), hoping if she held him firmly enough, all the other feelings would disappear from her chest._

_Tenzin held her back, not wanting to ever let her go. “Lin… I thought you were mad at me.” He whispered, after a few seconds. Tenzin was afraid of breaking the spell the earthbender seemed to be under if he talked too loudly._

_She pulled herself from him, just by a few centimeters. The fourteen years old girl looked at his face, her heart beating fast; she could feel every movement of the Earth, every single millimeter the planet rotated around its own axis, while looking at the airbender’s tender eyes._

_Tenzin, on the other hand, had lost all his senses. He couldn’t see anything but the green on Lin’s irises, couldn’t hear anything but her voice, it was like gravity itself was altered and the only thing keeping him on the ground were Lin’s arms around his neck. The Sun had lost its place at the center of the Universe and Lin’s bright smile was the single light source in all his galaxy._

_“I…” The metalbender started, not sure how to explain to him last week’s events. She shook her head, trying to gather her thoughts. She was with Tenzin now, her anchor, her best friend, the only person in the world that could give her the stability she had always searched for. “I was confused._ _And scared. I didn’t want to ruin our friendship, but the week I spent apart from you was the_ worst, _and I don’t ever want to do that again.”_

_Tenzin swallowed dryly. Could she be possibly saying what he thought she was saying…? He remained silent, waiting for the next words to come out of her mouth (Raava knows the kind of mess he had gotten himself into the last time he assumed to know Lin’s feelings)._

_"I want to give this a chance. I want… to give **us** a chance, if… you didn’t change your mind.” She said, very softly. This was the most unsure the airbender had ever seen his friend._

_"Really?!” He said, a lot louder. Lin let out a happy laugh and nodded. “REALLY?!” Tenzin couldn’t believe what he was hearing, his grin was wide and so were his eyes. His heart overflowed with pure joy._

_"_ _Yes, dummie! How many times will I have to repeat myself?” The earthbender answered, with a smile almost as big as his._

_Tenzin held Lin close once more and, before the girl could protest, he lifted them both a few meters off the floor, spinning his girlfriend around. Lin threw her head back, laughing. When they both were on the ground once again, she caressed his cheek and pulled him closer, her lips touching the airbender’s in a kiss as light as feather, but it still blew the boy’s mind._

_When Lin opened her eyelids, it wasn’t the gray color of Tenzin’s eyes that welcomed her to reality. Instead, she was transfixed by the person standing next to docks, blue eyes filled with hurt. Kya dropped her suitcase - that she had just pulled out of the boat - to the ground, too shocked to move or say anything. Lin felt the invisible hands tightening around her neck once again and she took a deep breath, replacing saddened blue with soothing gray in her field of vision. She held Tenzin close, nuzzling at the crook of his neck and closed her eyes shut, desperately trying to assure herself that she had made the right choice, but the only thing that floated behind her eyelids was deep blue._

* * *

Lin woke up with cold sweat running down her back, breathing heavily. Her subconscious hadn’t revisited that particular memory in many years, but it was only fair that Kya’s eyes would come back to haunt her dreams right at the moment where she had to make the biggest decision of her life.

She got up, putting her robe on. Tenzin was still snoring on their bed, not even noticing the disturbance on Lin’s mood. She looked at him, wishing she could have at least _one_ night of sleep as peaceful as he always seemed to have, but that kind of luck was reserved only for people without regrets in their lives.

She exited their bedroom, making her way into the kitchen and started to make breakfast (although the breakfast in question was a single cup of black coffee). Looking out the window, the city was still asleep, not a ray of sun to be seen nor a single motor of the sato-mobiles to be heard. This was Lin’s favorite time of the day, the only moment her mind and body could be at ease; no hurried thoughts, no sore muscles, no stressful bosses, no hopeful boyfriends. Just her and the chilling morning breeze. Lin wondered if this was what meditation felt like (every time Aang or Tenzin offered to teach her, she had always turned them down, with the excuse that she was too busy to sit around and _do nothing_ ).

Sipping from her coffee, the earthbender looked at the apartment she now called home. A few paintings hanged on the white walls; most of them Tenzin’s. Next to the sofa, there was a whole shelf filled with earthbending scrolls, some of them contained the metalbending moves her mother created, others were inscribed with techniques Lin herself had invented but never showed anyone. She couldn’t quite say _why_ she kept those a secret, maybe she was afraid they were… _mediocre._ Of course, next to the original metalbender, everything Lin ever did seemed ordinary, not just the metalbending moves.

The police officer put her cup down the sink, sighing. She’s had enough with those kinds of thoughts, but one way or another, they always found the path back to her mind. Well, at least she wasn’t thinking about Kya… until now.

It‘s been four days since the waterbender arrived at Republic City and the same confusion that consumed Lin when they were younger came along with the older woman’s appearance. _“Not_ _now, not again.”,_ she pushed those feelings down, silencing them. Lin was happy, she had the job she’s always wanted and her best friend and boyfriend by her side. She was _happy_ , this was how it was supposed to be, this was the life everyone wished for.

Not wanting to face Tenzin or Kya before going to work, she went into the bathroom and took a quick, cold shower and got ready for the day. Lin sneaked out of the house as quietly as possible and headed to headquarters, the sun finally rising at the horizon as people began to fill Republic City’s streets. This was going to be a _long_ day.

* * *

**6 years ago**

_They were all having dinner over Air Temple Island to celebrate Lin’s new job at the task force. Even though both Lin and Toph saw the meal as an unnecessary event, Aang had insisted on it and Lin couldn’t say no to him. So, there she was, stuck between an overly proud Tenzin and a chatty 12 years old Suyin, counting the minutes till the end of this little meeting. Bumi, Kya and even Izumi were all there, talking enthusiastically about this year’s pro-bending championship. Aang and Katara were at the kitchen cooking dinner, while Toph (who, by some miraculous force, wasn’t late) complained about something Lin couldn’t hear. Sokka was visiting Suki at Kyoshi Island, but had sent a messenger hawk as soon as he heard the news, congratulating the newest member of Republic City’s force police and telling her they would go drinking once he was back in town._

_After half an hour, Lin finally gave in; she hated to admit it, but Aang’s idea was a good one. Everything seemed so familiar and for the first in a while, the metalbender felt carefree. She rested her head on Tenzin’s shoulder, laughing at some absurd story Bumi had told while swearing in the name of Yangchen it was true (“Bumi, Yangchen is our father.” “Exactly! That is why you_ have _to believe me!”)._

_Dinner was served and eaten, and now Izumi was beating Bumi for the hundredth time on Pai Sho, while Katara tried to braid Suyin’s short hair. Aang and Toph were caught up on some philosophical debate (well, philosophical on Aang’s part, Toph was just saying everything could be solved with a few decisive punches), leaving Lin, Tenzin and Kya by themselves._

_They were discussing something stupid, maybe whose favorite pro-bending team would be the winner or maybe betting on how many more times Izumi would have to kick Bumi’s butt till he gave up; it didn’t matter, one way or another, Tenzin was the one who dropped the bomb._

_“So, which city of the Earth Kingdom are you planning on going first?” he asked Kya. Lin gave them both a confused look._

_"What do you mean?” the metalbender asked, frowning. “Are you taking a vacation?”_

_Kya shot Tenzin a sharp look that did not go missed by Lin, before turning to the younger woman with an apologetic face, and in that second, the earthbender knew something was wrong._

_"Yes… But not really.” the Avatar’s daughter started, not knowing how to begin explaining to her brother’s girlfriend that she had no wish for constancy on her future when that seemed to be Lin’s life goals. “It’s more than a vacation, I don’t really know how long I’ll be gone.”_

_Lin’s frown deepened, bordering on a judgmental look. “You don’t know how long you’ll be gone? What about your job at the hospital? And your family and…” she cut herself before anything else could escape her lips. “You have_ responsibilities, _you can’t just leave.”_

 _Kya rolled her eyes. “Who are you, my_ mom? _I quit my job, I literally have nothing else tying me to this city.” the waterbender replied, maybe a little harsher than intended._

 _A flash of hurt crossed Lin’s face, though it was quickly replaced by her usual scowl. “Well, you’re 21 years old, so maybe if you started acting like one, you would have more than a job tying you to here.” It was common sense that Lin wasn’t a_ calm _person, but the way Kya_ always _made the metalbender lose her temper was extraordinary._

_Before the healer could retort, Tenzin tried to intervene. “Look, what Lin meant –"_

_"I know damn well what she meant, Tenzin. You don’t need to defend your girlfriend.” Kya turned to Lin. “Yes, I’m twenty-one, and that’s exactly why I want to go out and explore the world, experience new things, meet new people to love; I dread to think on being here for the rest of my existence, living the_ same _life my parents lived.”_

 _Now_ that _struck a nerve. Lin got up, almost knocking the table off as she did so. She exited the house, heading to the garden. She was on the verge of leaving holes on the ground she stepped on. The metalbender was so_ furious _at Kya. The healer never understood that she got it easy, her father was an_ airbender, _for Raava’s sake; Lin suspected that even if Kya ran off with the circus, he still would be the proudest dad ever._

_Barely a minute had passed before she heard footsteps following her. “Tenzin, not now.”_

_“Didn’t Toph teach you how to see through seismic sight? You should really start using it.”_

_Lin turned around at the sound of Kya’s voice. She couldn’t hide the surprise, mixed with annoyance, on her face._

_“Fuck you.” She cursed, not sure if that was a reaction to the healer’s comment or the whole situation. Lin meant it, but nothing in the world could’ve prepared her for the next words that left Kya’s mouth._

_“No, fuck_ you, _Lin. You don’t have the right to be mad at me for leaving, not after everything you’ve put me trough.” The waterbender got closer to her, gesticulating. “_ You _don’t know what being here makes me feel, you don’t know how trapped and misplaced I am, and you’ve lost the right for any explanation coming from me a_ long _time ago.” Her voice was failing. Even after all this time, the affect that Lin had on Kya was terrifying. She stopped a few centimeters from the metalbender’s face and, in that moment, Lin was very aware of their height difference._

 _At this distance, the police officer could almost see tears pricking on Kya’s eyes. Her breath hitched, not knowing if they were real or a trick of the light. “Don’t pretend it’s such a mystery, don’t pretend you couldn’t see this coming, because you and I – we both know, even if you refuse to_ _acknowledge it – that this departure is long due.” Kya said it all in a single breath and looked deeply into the other woman’s eyes, hoping she could pierce through that armor that Lin wore so well._

_The metalbender took a step back, adverting her gaze._

_Lin’s mind went a million miles per second. This was too much, Kya was too much. She didn’t know how to handle her without turning into a mess, didn’t know how to deal with so many repressed feelings that threatened to explode every time the other woman got too close; so, she did the only thing she knew how to do: she closed her eyes shut and got rid of the confusion that made her breath go shallow and blurred her thoughts. When she opened her eyelids once again, Kya couldn’t recognize the person before her._

_"Have a safe trip.”_

_And with that, Lin went inside the house, refusing to look back. She didn’t turn around, not even when she felt Kya’s tears touching the ground._

* * *

Lin put her head on her hands, rubbing her temples. The day was slow and even Toph couldn’t find a reason to trouble Lin. Republic City was a big town, shouldn’t people be doing criminal stuff? Apparently the sergeant had irritated a powerful spirit on her last life to deserve such punishment; for the first time since she got the job there wasn’t any paperwork waiting to be done, so she was stuck on her desk with only her thoughts as company.

It wasn’t like she didn’t have any friends at the force, she had a couple of them that accompanied her through metal academy, but since she was promoted… things have been awkward. Lin knew they didn’t blame her nor Toph (the Chief made sure to give Lin an _extra_ hard time so none of her officers would even whisper the word “nepotism”), but envy was a funny thing. So there she was, almost lunchtime, all kinds of reports filled, alone and lost in memories she would’ve traded anything in her life to forget.

The metalbender was going through _other_ officers’ reports and rewriting them in acceptable calligraphy ( _that’s_ how bored she was) when she accidentally dropped paint all over her desk.

“Fuck.”, Lin whispered under her breath and started to clean the surface as best as she could, making sure the papers weren’t ruined. She opened the first drawer on her counter, but before she could put the reports in there, a glimpse of the little box she was trying so hard to ignore caught her eyes. She swallowed dryly, closing the drawer with the papers inside of it quickly.

After cleaning the mess, Lin went out to get lunch. Some of her old friends waved at her, a bit hopeful she would go grab some food with them, but the metalbender replied with a polite smile and indicated the direction of her apartment. They seemed to understand, they always did.

Of course, Lin didn’t go to home; she was afraid of the possibility of Kya being there. Instead, she bought a sandwich for lunch and headed to the park. When Lin wanted to be left alone, she would usually lock herself in at the station or find some private restaurant. Today though, she felt like walking. The sun was at its highest place in the sky now and people were talking loudly at the park, the sato-mobiles’ horns and motors could be heard at any point in the city.

Sitting on a bench, Lin started to eat her sandwich and contemplated on how unbothered all people there seemed to be. For a second, she wished she could change lives with _anyone_ at the park, so at least all the regrets of her life would be forgotten; but as soon as the thought came into her mind, she dismissed it. Lin could never forget, so she sure as hell wouldn’t run away from the consequences of her choices.

* * *

**Two weeks ago**

_Tenzin had dropped by the station, surprising Lin. It wasn’t like he was_ prohibited _from going there, but the metalbender had made it clear that she liked her personal space, so something terrible must have happened for him to show up unannounced at her job._

_When Lin got closer to him, his anxious expression only worsened her fears._

_“Are you alright? Did something happen?” She asked, genuinely afraid._

_"What?” Tenzin realized how he must have looked. “Nope, everything is fine, it’s great!” He gave her the weirdest smile she had ever seen. She frowned._

_“Are you here to talk to me or…?” Lin was relived to hear nothing had happened, but she still had work to do, Tenzin needed to hurry up._

_“Yes! In fact, yes, I am.” Maybe the relief came a little too soon. Tenzin was acting strange and she was getting worried, maybe he bumped his head somewhere and forgot the hospital was across the city? “I, hm, I know you’re busy, but I’ve made reservations at this new restaurant and I think you’d really like it.” He said it so fast that Lin didn’t understand it at first. She sighed when she did though, all of that mystery on why he had paid her a visit coming to an end._

_“Tenzin, I don’t know… It’s been only a month since the Chief made me sargeant and I don’t think getting out earlier would set a good example.” Lin replied, apologetic. She missed the dinners they used to have when they were younger, but she was busy and so was he; Lin felt like they were growing a bit apart and she wanted nothing more to have a normal night out with her boyfriend, but things were not as simple as they used to be._

_Knowing exactly what was going on in his girlfriend’s mind, Tenzin took her hands in his. “Lin, please. This would mean the world to me. Plus, the reservations aren’t until nine, so I’m pretty sure you’ll have time to get out of here and get ready. Please?” The look he gave her was so genuine and rare… Maybe she could have one night out, Toph certainly wouldn’t complain._

_“Alright, airboy. But this is only because you booked the table for 9 p.m.” The smile on Tenzin’s lips brightened all his face, making him look younger. This kind of smile reminded Lin of the fourteen years old boy that thought the world of her… maybe he still did, after all._

_“You_ _won’t regret it, I promise.” And with that, Tenzin left._

_\-----_

_Lin glanced at her reflection in the mirror, quite pleased with it. Ever since she got her scars, the metalbender didn’t care much for her appearance, but it was nice to know she could still look good if she wanted to. She had applied a little lipstick Su had left at the apartment the last time she visited and brushed the dust off a dress her grandparents had given her a few years back. It was light green, with some golden threads on it. Lin smiled as she tried the dress on, it wasn’t exaclty her style but she looked pretty on it._

_When she exited the bathroom, Tenzin was waiting for her, with the formal airbender robe on. He looked mesmerized at the sight of Lin._

_“Wow… You look incredible.” He said after a few seconds staring. Lin rolled her eyes, but smiled._

_“So, where are you taking me?”_

_\-----_

_Tenzin lied. It wasn’t some new restaurant that had just opened the place they were currently having dinner; it was the fanciest spot in town and, somehow, Tenzin managed to reserve a whole floor just for the two of them. Maybe being the Avatar’s son had_ some _advantages, after all._

_The food was delicious, unlike anything Lin had ever tasted. It was a perfect combination of all four nations, even the Air Nomads’ spices were present. She couldn’t stop smiling, Tenzin had made her laugh the entire night, at one point she had to actually threaten him to stop fooling around otherwise she would choke on her food and he would be responsible for the death of one of Republic City’s employee._

_They weren’t like this with anyone but themselves. Every single person that looked at them from the outside thought they matched because of how serious they both were, but it was quite the contrary. Lin and Tenzin had so many inside jokes, that they’ve lost track of them over the years and every night out always ended with Lin crackling herself after a few drinks. No one saw this side of Lin Beifong besides her best friend, and vice-versa._

_Tenzin got up and went to Lin’s side at the table, offering his hand._

_“Dance with me?”_

_Lin felt so much love for him at that moment. Even after a decade together, Tenzin still asked her to dance with the same anxious look of a teenage boy. “Of course.”_

_She took his hand and was guided to the center of the floor. She didn’t even realize, but Tenzin made a signal and some musicians filled the place, along with a slow and romantic melody. She rested her head on his chest._

_He cleared his throat. “You know… The first time I realized I had feelings for you, was that day when Su got hurt playing with Bumi and you dropped everything you were doing to see what happened. I thought you would start yelling at him, but you were only looking at Su. You were_ so _worried that you picked her up and carried her to mom. I mean, I knew you were strong, but I didn’t know you could carry a nine years old for almost a mile, we were playing pretty far from the_ _house that day.” Lin looked at him, curious, but didn’t say anything. “Not only you were strong, but you were so, so caring. You didn’t leave her side for the entire day after that, not even after mom told you a million times she was alright; you were so worried that she would hurt herself again and you wouldn’t be there to catch her.”_

_They stopped dancing and now were only staring at each other. Lin felt her heart beating fast at her chest, just like that day ten years ago._

_“I knew I loved you and couldn’t imagine my life without you from that day, and when you came back home from your trip with Kya, jumping on my arms, I knew you were my soulmate and the only person I could not see myself without.” Tenzin took a step back, lifting his arms from Lin’s waist, and showed her the thing he had been hiding on his pocket the whole evening: a small box._

_He opened it and inside was the most beautiful ring Lin had ever seen: it was golden with a green stone on top of it. The colors of Air and Earth. “Toph helped me with the ring.” Tenzin said, smiling. “Lin Beifong, would you give me the honor of becoming my wife?” The words left the airbender's mouth in such a hopeful tone that it almost broke the sergeant's heart._

_Lin didn’t know how to answer that. She felt the world spinning and she didn’t know how to answer the most important question that she had ever been asked. Why couldn’t things stay the way they are? Weren’t they happy just ten minutes ago? Wasn’t Lin almost crying from laughing?_

_She felt Tenzin’s hands on her arms, pulling her back to reality. “You don’t have to answer now, it’s okay, I get it. It took me three years to convince you to move in with me, I’ll wait for as long as you need to make this decision.”_

* * *

Lin’s shift ended at the station, but the last place she wanted to go was home. Her mind was running wild, she was so _fucking lost._ She wanted to say yes to Tenzin, wanted to scream _yes_ , wanted the turmoil on her chest to shut up. Then why couldn’t she?

 _“You know why.”,_ a voice inside of her whispered. _“You know why and she knows why, the only one who doesn’t know why is Tenzin.”_ The hands of confusion were, once more, gripping her neck, suffocating her. She felt the tears on her eyes, but blinked them away. What was wrong with her? She had everything she had ever wanted, but it still wasn’t enough.

Lin looked at the first drawer at her table and opened it, taking the small box, that was haunting her every wake minute, on her hands. The metalbender opened it and looked at the ring, made with such love and dedication by her soulmate. _“It wasn’t enough right now, but it could be. It_ _would be.”_ She put the jewelry on her finger and went home, to her fiancé.

* * *

When Lin entered the apartment, Tenzin and Kya were nowhere to be seen. She let out a relived sight, leaning her head against the door. The earthbender closed her eyes for a few seconds and replayed the memories in her head for the millionth time that day, making sure she hadn’t forgotten any crucial piece of information, like she was working on some impossible case.

Lin straightened up and headed to the bathroom, looking at herself in the mirror. How different she looked from two weeks ago, the bags under her eyes had darkened and she couldn’t stare at the reflection for more than a few minutes; somehow, her scars looked uglier and if she didn’t know it was impossible, she could’ve sworn they were hurting.

Lin took her armor off, followed by her pants and a tank top. The sergeant stepped inside the shower and let the water wash away her troubles, emptying her mind. She was doing the right thing, after a decade together it was natural for people to get married; she was doing everything she was **supposed** to do.

The Beifong didn’t hear it; she rather felt, through the ground, the locks from her apartment turning. Summoning all the courage she could muster, Lin got off the shower, dried herself and put on some clean clothes. She went to the kitchen, where Tenzin had started cooking dinner and Kya was – as usual – teasing him, comfortably seated at the dinner table. The waterbender was the first one to notice Lin’s presence, eyes lighting up at the earthbender’s figure.

“Oh, hi, Linny! Tenzin and I were betting on how long you would ignore us; he said you’d come home at 2 a.m. and I betted you would spend the night at the station, but now that you’ve showed up for dinner our bet is ruined.” Kya said, a youthful smile dancing on her lips.

“No, I was not making such bets!” Tenzin turned red and, as he passed close Kya to get to Lin, he whispered in her ear. _“You’re such a tattletale!”_ Kya laughed and so did Lin, which surprised all the people in the room.

The airbender leaned in to kiss her when he saw the ring on her hand. His eyes went wide and Lin was, once again, reminded of the boy that got overly happy the first time she had said “yes” to him. On the second time, though, Lin wasn’t met with exciting jumps and airbending moves; instead, she saw tears of happiness on the familiar gray eyes, and then Tenzin pulled her into the tightest embrace the earthbender had ever received.

She smiled and hugged him back, comfortable at the familiarity of his arms. The invisible hands couldn’t catch her there… Or so the sergeant thought. Tenzin’s reaction may have been different ten years apart from the first “yes” Lin said to him, but the waterbender’s certainly was not.

Kya took a moment to realize what was going on, but when she saw Lin’s hand and met her gaze, everything fell into place. It was like she had received a punch in her stomach, and now the metalbender wasn’t at the top of the stairs when all the hurt crossed Kya’s face. She could see it all, first hand: the shock, the anger, the heartbreak.

Lin felt the suffocating sensation wrapping around her throat once more, so she closed her eyes shut and breathed in Tenzin’s scent. This was the right choice, the safest choice, the best choice.

Then why blue irises were the only things that occupied Lin’s mind?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, tell me what you think and thanks for reading! If you feel like chatting, you can find me on twitter @seventeenwonder


	3. The Story Of Us

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo, before reading this chapter, a couple of disclaimers: Pema is older here because the age gap between her and Tenzin in TLOK is pretty weird; and Lin and Su never had that Epic Fight™️ in this fic, but Lin still got her scars. Why? Well, for two reasons: 1- They look hot on her. 2- I am a lesbian.  
> That's pretty much it, hope you enjoy!

Kya was _fine._ No, scratch that, she was _great._ Truly, never been better. Of course, the first few moments since that eventful night at Tenzin and Lin’s kitchen were… difficult. But now? Pff. Kya was _excellent._

The waterbender hasn’t seen her brother or his _fiancée_ (ugh) in two days, but that didn’t mean she was ignoring them. Kya was just… busy. Busy sleeping with other women (who weren’t green-eyed and dark-haired) and leaving their house first thing in the morning, busy helping Katara and Aang, busy welcoming Earth Kingdom representatives and the Fire Royalty into the city for Avatar Day, and right now, she was busy making sure Bumi wouldn’t be late for the dinner they were hosting in honor of ~~Uncle Zuko~~ the Fire Lord.

Bumi had arrived that afternoon and just like Kya, he was kicked out of Air Temple Island. Contrary to Kya though, Bumi actually had a nice place to crash in; one of his friends at the United Forces had an empty apartment at Republic City and she landed it to him. 

"How did you manage to convince your mystery friend to let you borrow a place as nice as this one?" The waterbender had said as soon as she walked into the flat's doors. "And how come she can _even_ afford this? I thought all of your friends were as broke as you." 

"Well, first of all, dear sister, navy folks tend to be very loyal and we _trust_ each other, so I didn't _need_ to convince her." Bumi started as he threw his bag on the sofa. "Second, the United Forces has a really nice salary! And you would know, had you accepted any of my invitations to become a healer there."

Kya stood in front of her brother, arms crossed and eyebrow raised; she didn't believe a single word that came out of his mouth. They both started a staring contest, which ended up with the United Forces’ captain sighing, in defeat. 

"Alright, Aiko's parents are really rich and they are spending Avatar Day at Ember Island, so I promised her I would do her mourning rounds for a month if she let me stay here, happy now?"

"Yup, that sounds about right." 

After their little chat, Bumi went to one of the accommodation's bedroom and slept while Kya got ready for the dinner party. _"She is not going to be there."_ , the waterbender tried to comfort herself while applying her makeup. _"Oh well, now you're just lying to yourself. Lin and Tenzin would probably die before missing out on any of their duties."_ She huffed, which made her right eyeliner come out uneven. 

Kya waterbent some makeup remover, erasing the black fine line from her eyelid. She needed to _keep cool_ , for Raava's sake. Why was her heart beating so fast just at thought of a certain metalbender seeing her tonight? _"She is with Tenzin." -_ that quote was tattooed on her brain since she was sixteen - _"She is getting_ married _to him." -_ now _that_ last bit surely was a painful addition to the mantra engraved in her head. But at the end of the day, it didn't matter if it was hurtful, not really, because those little reminders of the truth always did their job. Kya's breath came back to normal. 

_"Fuck it. If Lin's gonna be there, then I sure as hell will have some fun."_

* * *

"Kya, I've got something to tell y-" Bumi's words died on his throat as soon as he entered the living room. He looked up and down at his sister's chosen outfit for tonight, a bit perplexed. "Mom is gonna kill ya." 

There was, indeed, a great chance that Katara would murder Kya as soon as she stepped on Air Temple Island. The waterbender's dress was showing... a little too much of her body; Kya had chosen a blue dress with a deep cleavage that accentuated her breasts. 

"You know Bumi, a simple 'You look nice, sis!' would've been enough." She said with her hands on her waist. Bumi let out a loud laugh. 

"Oh, but you already know that, don't you? Why should _I_ be the one inflating your ego?" He crossed the living room and picked up his bag when a realization hit him. "Ohhh, will there be someone you wanna impress at dinner? You barely talk to me about girls nowadays!" The excited look on her brother's face made Kya roll her eyes. 

"That's none of your business." Bumi's grin grew wider. 

"So there _is_ someone! Please tell me who she is, I need some family gossip to tell Izumi tonight!" Bumi and Izumi, although complete opposites, were best friends since... ever. Something about being the eldest children of Team Avatar and "umi" ending both of their names. 

"My love life is not for you and Izumi to gossip over! Now go change!" Kya started pushing her brother out of the living room into his new, temporary bedroom. She could still hear his teasing through closed doors. 

The waterbender took a long look at herself in the mirror after their exchange. Her hair was completely down - which did not occur often - and her makeup was heavier than usual, the dark eyeliner going perfectly with the blue pigment on her eyelids. Kya's lips were covered in a thin layer of chapstick and nothing more. Bumi was right, Kya didn't need anyone to tell her how good she looked because she _knew_ she looked good. Still, that knowledge didn't silence the expectant voice in her mind that was wondering what a certain police officer's reaction would be. 

"I'm ready!" Bumi's voice interrupted her thoughts. After a few seconds, he showed up again dressed with his formal uniform. "Shall we, milady?" He winked and offered his arm to Kya, who accepted with a happy laugh. 

"We shall." 

Finally, they exited the apartment. It was going to be... an interesting night. 

* * *

Katara didn't murder Kya, although she looked like she just might do so. The waterbender smiled innocently to her mother, making up some lame excuse to get out of Katara's visual field. She started protesting, but Aang swiftly intervened and it looked like Kya was off the hook, at least for now. 

Kya moved around the room graciously, making conversation with Earth Kingdom diplomats and introducing them to Water Tribe emissaries. Being the Avatar's daughter and the heir of the most powerful waterbender in history came with a lot of responsibilities... one of them is knowing your way around an official dinner. Luckily, Kya had mastered that technique a long time ago, when she was still a teenager. The waterbender dazzled whatever room she walked in with her easy-going chats and upbeat personality, a perfect mix from her mom's conciliatory skills, and her dad's positive views. 

Unfortunately, not all of Katara and Aang's kids were as talented as Kya when it came down to diplomatic expertise. Bumi didn't know when to stop talking whereas Tenzin didn't know where to begin; but that was okay, Kya always seemed to appear right at the perfect time and keep her brothers from embarrassing themselves. 

At the moment though, she didn't need to concern herself with anything, because Izumi, Mai, and Zuko entered the dining room. Izumi looked kinda bored until she saw Bumi and her eyes lit up. Bumi didn't even excuse himself from the conversation he was having and hurried up to where Izumi was standing, giving his best friend the tightest hug possible. 

"Bumi! Let me go!" The Crown Princess said, a bit breathless. The captain let go of her with the biggest smile ever. 

"Umi! I missed you so much!" 

Izumi let out a small, shy smile while fixing her glasses. "I missed you too. You never stop by the Fire Nation to visit." 

Bumi put his arm around the Princess' shoulders, guiding them both outside. "But it's not my fault! I'm only a _captain_ at the United Forces, I promise as soon as I make it to Commander all of our stops will be at the Fire Nation Capital, how does that sound?" 

Kya couldn't hear Izumi's answer, but she presumed it was a happy one. Honestly, Kya wished she was angry over the fact her brother had monopolized their childhood friend once again, but she couldn't bring herself to be mad at him; it's been a while since the two of them were reunited, the waterbender was sure she could catch up with Izumi later. 

Zuko turned to her, Aang and Katara, who all approached quickly after the Royal Party arrived. 

"Good to know your son still has a favorite Fire Royalty member." The Fire Lord pointed out and Aang let out a heartfelt laugh while embracing his old friend. 

Katara and Mai hugged each other as well, and Mai made her way to Kya, touching her hair and taking a look at the girl's makeup before hugging her. 

"Don't you look just magnificent?” The Fire Lady started. “Agni, your dress is just _gorgeous,_ you've got to tell me who made it later." 

Kya smiled. "Thank you, Aunt Mai. I'll write down the details and give it to you."

"Aren't Azula and Ty Lee joining us tonight?" Aang's voice inquired. 

"Oh, you know my sister... After the wedding, she and Ty Lee officially retired from Fire Nation business and that includes travels such as this. 'If this is not a vacation, I am not going, Zuzu.'" The Fire Lord said with his best imitation of Azula, air quoting the words. Katara laughed at his performance and they all started talking about something else that Kya didn't pay much attention to.

It wasn't on purpose, but her mind had been somewhere else the whole evening. The waterbender couldn't help her wandering eyes; ever since she arrived at Air Temple Island, her vision always traced back to its entrance, hoping that maybe, if she looked hard enough, a certain earthbender would materialize herself and the anxiousness in Kya's mind would come to an end.

Of course, none of this happened. Instead, what Kya saw was a cranky, short lady heatedly gesticulating to her uncle while he, apparently, tried to convince the woman of something Kya didn't catch on. Toph and Sokka approached them but didn't stop arguing. 

"... no right to interfere with _my_ headquarters like that, keep politics out of this, Sokka."

"You're being unreasonable! The City would greatly benefit from this proposal. If I could only make you _see_ how this could affect positively so many people!" Toph opened her mouth to retort, but Sokka was quicker. "No blindness puns, you know what I meant." 

The Police Chief huffed, which gave Zuko a great opportunity to step in. "Things _really_ don't change around here, huh?"

Sokka gave him and Mai a bear hug, quickly forgetting his debacle with Toph. The earthbender still seemed a little bit grumpy, but Kya knew that after two drinks, she and her uncle would be picking on Zuko. After four drinks, they would be performing Secret Tunnel and after five drinks, Toph would try to teach Sokka how to metalbend (and get mad at him when he failed). Kya didn't know what came after six drinks, they never got to this point at diplomatic dinners and kids were strictly prohibited at Team Avatar's nights out. 

The Avatar's daughter greeted the rest of her extended family and excused herself, kinda feeling out of place. Even though she was almost thirty years old, Kya would always feel like a little kid when so many of her aunts and uncles were reunited in one place.

She headed to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine, looking out the window, a bit overwhelmed with nostalgic feelings; being at Republic City with her whole family reunited always made Kya miss her childhood. Things were a lot simpler back in the day when her only concerns were betting with Bumi on who could prank Tenzin more or when she would play hide-and-seek with her parents. She missed the feeling of waking up, looking out from that very same window and wondering what kinds of surprises were waiting for her across that island, across that bay, across that city, across the world. 

But they all grew up and grew old. Bumi didn't gamble with her half as often and Katara hasn't chased her across Air Temple Island in more than a decade. Kya saw more things throughout the globe than she could have ever imagined and Tenzin didn't fall for his siblings' tricks anymore. _"How did we change so much?"_ , a soft voice in her head started.

She walked out of the kitchen, wine glass in hand. Alone, she stood in that crowded room, observing the most influential people in the world as they drank, chatted, and laughed. Then, she saw it. She saw emerald eyes looking right back at her and suddenly, Kya couldn't move, or breath, or blink. She just stared at Lin Beifong for milliseconds that felt like centuries, her heart racing, threatening to jump right out of her chest. Finally, just as quickly as the metalbender looked at Kya, she looked away. 

_"... And how did some things not change at all?"_

* * *

They were all sitting on the ground around one of the dining tables, eating the delicious dishes in front of them; Aang and Katara hired some chefs from all kinds of restaurants in Republic City to cook their guests' dinner. There were foods from all the four nations, starting at the Air Nomads' steamed tofu and ending with the Fire Lady's favorite: fruit tart. 

Toph and Sokka - as predicted - were each seated at one side of Zuko, making fun of the Fire Lord's formal robe. Mai and Katara were catching up on Fire Nation and Republic City business while Suki, who had arrived a bit late, was telling Aang about the new Kyoshi Warriors. 

At the end of the table, Bumi and Izumi were chatting away with Tenzin and Lin (who was quieter than usual), which left Kya stuck with an annoying, smug fifteen-year-old Suyin Beifong. The waterbender had forgotten how snobbish teenagers could be, leaving her half wishing she could trade places with Uncle Zuko. 

"This is really good, Dad. Who made it?" Bumi said, with his mouth full of fruit tart. 

"Oh, I forgot the name of the restaurant, but one of the new Air Acolytes told us about it. Your mother and I ate there and we really liked it." Aang answered from the other side of the table. 

"It was Pema, wasn't it?" Tenzin intervened, a hint of admiration in his voice. Aang nodded. "Oh, she's amazing." He said, to no one in particular. "Only eighteen and she's already committed to the preservation of the Air Nation! True callings like this are really rare." 

"Uhhh, Tenzin's got a crush!" Bumi said, which made Tenzin's face turn into the brightest shade of red. 

"Don'tberidiculous!" The airbender said in a single breath, which made everyone at the table laugh. Well, everyone except Lin, who didn't even look like she was paying attention to the conversation.

Kya was trying as best as she could to ignore the other woman just like she was ignoring her, but sometimes it was impossible to _not_ glance at the metalbender, especially when she was so close, just a few meters away. 

When the laughter died out and everyone was about to go back to chatting, Tenzin cleared his throat. 

"Well, since I have everyone's attention, Lin and I would like to make an announcement." He stood up, offering his hand to Lin so she could do the same. He smiled softly at her once the metalbender was by his side, and she returned it.

Kya knew the words about to be said even before they left her brother’s mouth. Everything started moving in slow motion, except for her own heart, which was going a thousand miles per hour; the waterbender could physically feel it cracking inside of her chest. Tenzin announcing it would make the wedding real, not an isolated episode that happened in their kitchen, not a thing that Kya could ignore as she did with most stuff involving Tenzin and Lin.

She hadn’t actually realized it, until that moment, that they were really... promising each _for life_. That broke her. She was not fine, she was not great, she was just wearing a mask.

“We are getting married!” The words left Tenzin’s lips, and there was no going back now. 

The room exploded with cheering sounds. Kya put on her best fake-smile, trying her hardest to seem and feel happy for them, because that was what was expected of her.

The waterbender thought she had learned her lesson, thought Lin wouldn’t, _couldn’t_ hurt her anymore, but oh, was she wrong. Kya honestly thought time had healed her deepest wounds and biggest regrets, but one look at the earthbender’s face dissolved all her certainties. 

Because when she looked at those green irises, the waterbender saw herself reflected on them; the smiles on both Kya and Lin's lips didn’t reach their eyes and maybe she was imagining things, and maybe she was wishing Lin was as miserable as Kya was - and that made her the most selfish person in the world - but in all honesty, the waterbender was dying to know if the happy squeals and the engagement ring on her hand were killing Lin like they were killing Kya.

"That's wonderful news!" Aang said when the table quieted down a notch.

"When is the wedding?" Mai was the one who asked that. 

"We..." Tenzin started, looking a bit unsure, searching for Lin's support. 

"We haven't actually scheduled a date yet, but as soon as possible. We don't want anything big, so the planning part shouldn't take long... Maybe a couple of months." The metalbender said. 

"Oh wow, that will fit perfectly then!" Bumi started. "I know that tonight is your big night, but I’ve got something to tell you guys too. I’ve been promoted to United Forces' Emissary in Republic City, so I’ll be here for at least a couple of months!” 

"Wow, that's great, Bumi!" Katara said, then turned at Kya. "You should stay here, too! At least until the wedding, all of your brothers will be here.” The hope in her mom’s voice didn’t leave much room for a “no”. 

_”Fuck. I’m gonna kill Bumi.”_ Kya thought to herself, smiling politely at her mom and trying to come up with an excuse - any excuse - to get her out of that mess. _“You don’t have a job nor responsibility to anyone else, you literally live like an Air Nomad, what did you expect?”_ A voice that sounded much like Lin’s reverberated in her head. 

“I... would love to be here. After Avatar Day. Until Tenzin and Lin’s wedding.” Kya answered awkwardly, but no one seemed to notice the discomfort in her voice. 

After she was sure the focus of the conversation wasn’t on her any longer, the waterbender walked out from the table, going straight to her old Air Temple Island room.

The bags and the clothes on the bed showed that the room was occupied by someone else at the moment, but Kya didn’t care, she just needed a few moments alone. The waterbender closed the door after her and took a deep breath, wishing she hadn’t come at all to this stupid dinner. Her chest hurt so much that Kya actually felt the tears pricking her eyes, but she held them back; it wasn’t the time nor the place to be at with a messed up makeup. 

She felt her breath coming back to normal as she stood there, taking in the familiar space from her childhood. Kya could still sense the smell of Air Nation incenses her father used to put on her nightstand to help her concentrate during meditation, and she could still hear Katara’s soothing voice next to her bed, comforting her, after she just had a nightmare. It was good to be home when your heart was breaking, it was good to know exactly where you were stepping on. 

However, it was not good to be home when you’re trying to heal. If Kya was planning on forgetting about this fucking wedding, she needed to _leave_ , needed to go back to her travels, to exploring the globe. But she was stuck here and she knew that nothing in the world would make her break her promise to Katara. _Fuck_. 

The waterbender opened the window, letting the cold night breeze kiss her face. _"It's going to be alright, you've always known how to take care of yourself, it will be fine."_ Just as her heart stopped aching, the door in the room opened. Kya didn't even need to look in that direction to know who had just stepped in. She wore her most charming smile as she turned around on her heels.

"Hey, Sarge." 

Lin Beifong stood in front of Kya, unreadable, wearing her full uniform, as usual (Kya sometimes wondered if the earthbender slept with her armor on). Her eyes traced the waterbender's body, quickly diverting her gaze when Kya raised a knowing eyebrow. Neither of them had turned the light on, so it was too dark for Kya to see the red on Lin's cheeks. 

"I haven't been here in years..." The police officer started, ignoring the other's greeting. Lin closed the door behind her, moving to pick up a turtle-duck plushie. "I still remember the day Uncle Zuko gave each one of us this." She said with a small chuckle, which annoyed Kya; Lin couldn't enter her bedroom and act like everything was normal. 

"Feeling nostalgic, are we?" The waterbender said, perhaps harsher than needed, while moving closer to Lin. Kya looked the younger woman right into her eyes, searching for a reason to explain what the metalbender was doing in her old bedroom; there was a question written all over Kya's face that Lin needed to answer. The sergeant sighed and put the plushie back to its place at the nightstand. 

Over the years, they each had learned to read the other like a book, but that all changed when Tenzin entered the equation; Lin didn't allow Kya to come near, so Kya disappeared. However, sometimes, when one of them lowered their defenses, the other could see it all, no words needed to be spoken. Right now, Lin saw it all: the hurt and the confusion, the inquiry not said aloud. 

"Why did you leave?" The metalbender said, finally. There was a hint of honest vulnerability in her voice, one that didn't go missed by Kya, although it might just be her wishful thinking. The question and the uncertainty of what Lin truly meant wouldn't allow Kya to answer candidly. 

"The table?" She bet on the safest option. "Oh, I needed a bit of fresh air, you of all people know how draining all of these political talks can get."

"That's not what I meant." The metalbeder's voice came out in a sure yet gentle tone; she wasn't whispering nor trembling, which often occurred when they both stepped on this uncharted territory.

 _"Was Lin closer than before? Were her eyes shining as much? Was the moonlight illuminating her lips from this angle a second ago?"_ Kya's heart, which she had just gotten to calm down, started beating fast in her chest once again. _"Can she feel it? Could she be possibly asking what I think she's asking? Does she want to... go back, revisit the past?"_

Those rare moments. Those rare flashes of the truth that they could see at the other's face, no games, no secrets, no denying. Lin was reading every single twitch of Kya's expression as the back of her hand, memorizing and making sense of them. 

"Lin..." Kya's voice sounded weak even to her own ears, a muted timbre contrasting to Lin's firm one. It was almost a prayer, a wish, a beg, a warning. If Lin wanted to know the truth, if Lin wanted to delve back to six years ago, she couldn't regret it, she couldn't pull away. "I-"

"The house." The metalbender interrupted Kya abruptly. "I - _we_ \- got worried." Lin took a step back, the dim light coming out of the window not reflecting her in the right places anymore, shadows covering those green eyes. "Tenzin was wondering where you were." Dropping that name on the conversation felt like a cold bucket of water poured on Kya's head. 

Lin had made her choice. _"I don't even know why I thought this time would be different."_ Lin chose, so Kya chose as well; the waterbender took a step forward, then another, and then another. Lin was trapped between the wall and Kya's body. The waterbender's right arm went right above the shorter woman's shoulder, and they were only inches apart, if Kya leaned just a bit more, they would breathe the same air. 

"Do you really wanna know?" The waterbender's voice was still as low as a whisper, but she wasn't insecure anymore, they both had come back to their respective roles in their little play, hadn't they? 

Lin remained silent, her chest going up and down at a fast pace, her eyes not daring to look lower, because if she looked lower... She would see that Kya was still wearing that damned dress that could hardly be considered appropriate for a formal dinner. The metalbender was transfixed by the older woman's actions, by her sultry voice, by her proximity; she was barely breathing. Kya was taking immense pleasure from Lin's speechless state. 

She leaned more and her lips were right next to Lin's ear, which caused the metalbender to shiver. "Would you like me to tell you what I've been up to for the last few days?" Kya's hot breath in her skin was enough to make Lin close her eyes, losing herself in the moment. "Or would you like me to give you a demonstration?" 

The waterbender's lips brushed lightly on the place right below the sergeant's ear and Lin's breath hitched. "Kya..." _We can't._ She was sure those would be the words to come out of the metalbender's mouth, but she never had a chance to find out, because someone was knocking at the door.

Before pulling back, Kya made sure to stare at Lin's face, searching for something she wasn't sure was there; when the person knocked again, they both knew they were out of time. 

Kya stepped back, taking a good look at Lin with a smirk on her lips. She winked to the metalbender, as if nothing had happened in those last minutes, and opened the door. 

"Hey, Tenzin! Lin was just telling me that you were worried where I was staying, so just so you two know, I'm sleeping at Bumi's now." 

A confused Tenzin looked at her. "Oh, sure! Just know you're always welcomed back home." 

"Thanks, little brother." She said and booped his nose, passing past him and getting out of the room. 

Kya didn't turn back, she didn't need to; the night wasn't a complete waste, after all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I took so long to update!! I recently found out that people plan their fics?? And have an idea what they're doing while writing?? God, this could not be me. (Side note: as it turns out, it is now lol. I've always known how I want this fic to end, but for the past few weeks, I have actually sat down and planned how to get there. A win.) Plus, I'm in my senior year which means I'm studying like crazy during a global pandemic. Do. Not. Recommend.


	4. Cruel Summer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok, first of all, lemme have a bit of creative license when it comes to their outfits alright

Avatar Day was a special day for Lin; it has been since she was a child and when entering the force, the holiday became even more special. 

The reason was still a little cloudy, but surprisingly, the crime rates went _down_ during the date. On her first year as a cop, Lin mentioned the fact to Izumi and the Fire Princess had taken upon herself to discover _why_ the gangs in Republic City didn't use the holiday to profit or attack other criminal groups (the firebender was indeed the biggest nerd Lin had ever met, but that came in handy most of the times). Her research, it turns out, was inconclusive, but the Princess said that people were probably still celebrating the end of the 100-year war, and no one wanted to dishonor the Avatar who brought that to reality on his day, not even outlaws. 

On top of her job being a little easier during Avatar Day, all of Lin's extended family visited the city she called home on the holiday; Uncle Zuko, Aunt Mai, Aunt Suki... Some years, even the earthbender's grandparents would make their way into Republic City to visit their granddaughters. Toph, of course, would find some excuse to not spend time with her parents, leaving Lin and Suyin to entertain them.

It wasn't all bad; actually, it was pretty great. When she was younger, the metalbender used to love spending time with Lao and Poppy, they gave her something she never _truly_ had: stability. While Lin was with her grandparents, she didn't need to worry about her mom's legacy, or being a great earthbender, or even looking after Suyin; she could be a normal kid, a child whose mother wasn't a living legend. 

However, her grandparents wouldn’t visit them this year, and honestly, Lin was secretly hoping that today would be an exception to the usually safe Avatar Days and the Agni Kai Triad would make a move against... something, anything really. Or maybe the Terra Triad could rob a bank. For fuck’s sake, at this point, the metalbender was even wishing the Red Moonson Triad would break in the headquarters and somehow stop tonight from happening. Lin didn’t want to get out of her desk and face the real world, she would much rather face a thousand criminals. 

Exiting the station would mean going home where she would have to wear something that wasn't her uniform and get ready for a night she didn't even wanna think about, but getting out of the station would mean, above all else, having to face a _certain_ healer _._ The thought made her groan. 

Ever since that fateful party at Air Temple Island, Lin had buried herself into work, leaving no space on her mind for the waterbender. She would get up, be the first one to get into the station, and answer every distress call they received. By the end of the day, her muscles would be so sore that Lin would quickly fall asleep. The dreams, though... The dreams were something the earthbender could not control. 

Soft lips against her skin, skilled fingers tracing her scars, a teasing chuckle, and a pair of ocean eyes piercing through all of her defenses; this was the combination that chased Lin every time she laid down and closed her eyelids. Still, the dreams weren't even the worst part of this mess she had gotten herself into; the worst part was waking up next to a man who loved her while guilt drowned the earthbender almost as much as those blue irises did. 

So yes, Lin would very much like to skip Avatar Day altogether and gain a few bruises while putting some bandits in jail instead.

"What are you still doing here?" And, with the sound of Toph’s voice, Lin knew her plans to get out of the party were over. 

“Actually, there’s some paperwork I need to fini-”

“Absolutely not. We are supposed to be at City Hall in half an hour, get out of my sight _right now._ ” 

“But, Chief I-”

“No ‘buts’, no excuses. I can feel this whole station, if you’re still here in five minutes I will _physically_ throw you out.” 

Lin repressed a groan, but the sergeant knew her mother could feel her fuming. Toph never listened to her - it had been this way for as long as she could remember - why would she listen now? 

With no choice left, Lin gathered her stuff and got out of the headquarters, letting the one thought she repressed for the past days take over her mind: _Kya_. 

* * *

The City Hall was the place where Lin had spent most of her nights during Avatar Day; every year Sokka and the other councilmen would organize a ball in honor of the Avatar, a party to celebrate all of the four nations. Dances flooded the ballroom, music filled everyone's soul, drinks and food were served until the first morning ray entered through the enormous windows, and before that, the golden chandelier lights shined brightly illuminating the formal gowns of the people present. 

The Beifong women usually didn't like events filled with politicians and diplomats - they were action takers, after all - but even Toph and Lin had to admit that Sokka knew how to throw a party. Toph used to call the event "The only formal meeting where you could get properly drunk" and Lin couldn't say she was wrong (though the sergeant would never lose control of her senses in a place as public as the ball). 

So there the police officer was, with the same dress she wore the night Tenzin proposed to her, scanning the room for a pair of blue eyes she couldn't find anywhere. It wasn't like Lin _wanted_ to see Kya, but she needed to be prepared for whatever stunt the waterbender would pull tonight.

The healer’s outfit at Air Temple Island a few nights ago really... caught Lin off guard, to put it lightly. The earthbender could still feel the shiver on the back of her neck from the vision of Kya wearing that little blue dress. The sergeant was expecting Kya to wear something even more provocative today... perhaps a high slit dress. Now, _t_ _hat_ particular image in her mind made Lin swallow the whiskey in her hand quickly.

"... and that's why we need to get out of here. Hey, are you even listening?" Bumi's voice brought her back to reality. 

They - Bumi, Izumi, Tenzin, and Lin - were in a small circle talking about... Uhm. Food? Well, who was Lin trying to fool? She had no idea what they were talking about. 

"You gotta keep your stories shorter, Bumi, they are getting old." The earthbender said, which elicited a laugh from Izumi. 

"I was not even telling a story!" Bumi's outraged face put a smile on the sergeant's lips. " _Anyways_ , I was just listing the reasons why I think we should get out of here and get drunk. It's a holiday! Raava knows how little of those we get." 

"You can get drunk here, it's _not_ that much of a formal party." Tenzin said, eyebrow raised. 

"In front of _mom?_ C'mon Tenzin, she didn't let me drink wine during dinners till I was 21!" 

Tenzin snorted. "Well, she wasn't _wrong..._ " It was Bumi's turn to raise an eyebrow. "... but I get your point." 

"See?! That's why we need to go and celebrate Avatar Day like _normal_ people!" The heroical stance Bumi made after he finished talking - as if he had just given the most powerful speech - made Lin and Tenzin roll their eyes at the same time. 

"I agree with Bumi, it'd be nice to party without a crown on your head for once." Izumi was the first one to break.

"Yes! That's the spirit." Bumi high-fived the Fire Nation Princess. "What about you two love-birds? What do you say?"

Tenzin and Lin shared a look that clearly stated, from both parties, _"We're too old for this."_

"I don't know, Bumi... We have responsibilities, we can't sneak out of here." Tenzin started. 

"Plus, I have an early meeting tomorrow, and you know how the Chief of Police is." Lin finished. 

"Uhm... _That_ Chief of Police?" Izumi pointed to a spot where Toph competed with men twice her size to see who could drink more cactus juice shots in less than a minute. Lin's mother was _clearly_ winning, if her shouts of _"You're all lily-livers!"_ were anything to go by. 

Lin put her head on one of her hands, disappointed but not surprised. Bumi’s smug laugh annoyed her more than she thought it could.

"Linny, Linny, you're under too much stress! A night out, with your bestest friends in the world, would help ya." Bumi put one of his arms around Lin's shoulders and started gesticulating with the other one. "Just imagine! You, me, 'Zumi, Tenzin and... Kya! All drunk, with no worries in the world. Pretty good for an evening in Republic City, heh?" 

The earthbender looked unimpressed, carefully removing the Captain’s arm from her shoulder. 

“Wow, you guys _really_ sound like the perfect company for a night out.” The sarcasm practically dripped from Lin's mouth. 

"Oh, sweetie, you haven't seen anything." A familiar voice whispered in her ear and Lin hated herself for immediately recognizing it. Kya had _finally_ arrived and the shudder on Lin’s spine was back. 

_"Fucking high-heels."_ The earthbender mentally cursed the shoes that kept her from feeling the ground around herself and allowed Kya to sneak up on her. 

Taking a great sip of the alcohol in her hand, Lin tried to calm down her nerves before turning around to face the waterbender. But of course, just like everything else regarding Kya, it didn't work out; the moment the police officer laid her eyes on the healer, her blood pressure went through the roofs.

The waterbender's chosen outfit wasn't... the _traditional_ provocative, Lin supposed. 

Kya wore a blue velvet suit buttoned all the way up, and one look at the waterbender's self-satisfied smile told Lin _exactly_ why none of the buttons were out of place; Kya wasn't wearing anything under that blazer. 

Red hit Lin's cheeks with the realization, which seemed to widen Kya's grin. _"Get yourself together, woman."_

"Nice of you to show up almost an hour late." It was all Lin could rationally gather after Kya’s appearance. She hated how the older woman always got the upper hand when it came down to their verbal battles. 

"Were you counting the minutes for me to appear? Beifong, I'm flattered." Of course, in their little word games, Kya always played dirty with her flirty remarks that Lin couldn't seem to make disappear; so, she just shook her head, deciding from that moment on to just ignore the waterbender for the rest of the night. Honestly, Lin didn't even know _why_ she was so anxious to see Kya again, all the healer ever did was get under her skin. 

"Kya! You've gotta help me convince those two to have a _real_ Avatar Day experience in Republic CIty!" Bumi's voice interrupted her thoughts. 

" _Good evening,_ Bumi, how are you?" The waterbender said while kissing him on the cheek and then hugging Izumi. "Why skip the pleasantries at a party such as this?" 

Lin puffed and crossed her arms; Kya wasn't so interested in pleasantries when she caught her off guard. 

"C'mon, we are running out of time! We could've been halfway across town by now if it wasn't for you guys." 

"Bumi, when will you learn? Tenzin and Lin _don't know how_ to have fun, it's part of who they are." Kya said, and _that_ struck a nerve. "But, I got the perfect place to go if you and Izumi are interested and-"

"What do you mean we _don't know_ how to have fun?" When Kya's eyes shined a little bit brighter, Lin knew she had just fallen right into her trap. 

"Well, you'd rather be here, with _old_ diplomats, than go out and have a drink or two with your friends, like regular people in their twenties would do."

The earthbender huffed. "That's _not_ true." As soon as the words left her mouth, Lin realized her mistake. 

"Oh, isn't it? Then come with us." Kya’s voice was as sharp as a razor. 

Lin wasn't sure what made her do what she did next, maybe it was the alcohol in her veins, maybe it was that damned dress being too tight or maybe it was how cocky Kya always seemed to be, which annoyed the shit out of Lin. It didn't matter, cause the next thing she knew, Lin was accepting the challenge implied in Kya's tone. 

"You know what? Let's go." 

Kya's lip turned upwards slightly, hardly noticeable to anyone unaware of their little push-and-pull game; a smile hardly noticeable to anyone who wasn't Lin. 

"Uh, I love it when reverse psychology works!" Izumi pointed out.

"YES!" Bumi cheered. "Now, let's get the hell out of here before you change your mind." 

"Actually, the club I was planning on going to only opens in half an hour, so... I'm gonna say hi to mom and we meet here in a minute, alright?" 

Before ~~Bumi~~ anyone could protest, Kya disappeared into the crowd. Izumi laughed at Bumi's disappointed face and dragged him to fill her champagne cup, leaving Tenzin and Lin alone. 

"You know... When I said there were things I needed to do here, I wasn't actually lying just to get out of Bumi's insane plan." Tenzin pointed out. 

_Shit_ , she had forgotten about their tacit accord. 

"Oh, sorry, do you wanna stay here?" Lin frowned. 

Tenzin took a moment to consider her offer, weighing his fianceé's words. Then, he shook his head. "No, of course not, I'll just go let some air acolytes know that I'll have to leave earlier."

"Would you like me to go with you?" 

Tenzin tensed up at her words. "No, no need to!" He said quickly, perhaps a little _too_ quickly. "You just stay here and finish your drink, I'll be right back." The airbender kissed Lin's forehead and left. 

Lin didn't dwell long enough on Tenzin's weird behavior, she didn't have time for that, especially when the weight of her own decisions started to hit her. Not only she would be in Kya's company, but they would be together in a dark, almost anonymous club rather than a fancy gala.

She finished her drink. 

_"What the fuck am I doing?"_

* * *

From the gala to the bar, Lin had counted _five_ public infractions. Avatar Day outside of the City Hall’s walls was really something else. 

Tenzin - who knew exactly what was going on through her mind - held her hand tightly, secretly asking her to _let it go._

 _”Such an airbender move, to avoid conflict at all costs.”_ Lin thought to herself. _“I don’t know how I let myself got caught up in this.”_

But Lin knew how that happened, of course she did. A decade shared with someone made you pick on some of their little habits, gestures, affections. You couldn’t _love_ someone for so long without giving a part of yourself away, or so Lin thought. But she was right, wasn’t she? She had to be right. 

Shaking her head and squeezing Tenzin’s hand in return, the earthbender cleared her mind from those thoughts. Lin was there to have some fun after all, not police the city’s hygienic state.

“And... We’re here!” Kya stopped and pointed to a place where the words ‘Breakable Heaven’ were written in purple.

Lin frowned, recognizing the name

“A gay bar? Really, Kya?” The earthbender said while crossing her arms. 

Kya let out a loud laugh. 

“Lin! Don’t be homophobic!” Kya said with a fake outraged face. 

“Iamnot!” A blushing Lin quickly corrected herself while the sound of her friends’ laughter filled the street. 

Kya took the lead and started talking to a woman near the entrance, who seemed like the security from the place. After a few seconds, the waterbender made a signal for them to come inside, so they did.

As soon as Lin walked through the doors, she immediately regretted it. The club was filled with so many people that the earthbender felt the urge to turn around, leave and finish her night with boring politicians. She looked at Tenzin, and knew from the frown on his face that the feeling was mutual. 

“Alright! The bar is over there and we can get a couple of drinks before the action starts, how does that sound?” Kya asked their little group. 

“Sounds like a great plan to me! Let’s go!” Bumi practically dragged them there, which made Lin curse him and the high heels she was wearing for what felt like the hundredth time that evening. 

Lin didn’t even get the chance to order her drink, because Bumi ordered cactus juice shots for all of them with the biggest grin she had ever seen on his face. 

Izumi was the one who raised her cup and started their traditional toast. “To the world that only sees us as extensions of our parents...” 

“... and to the parents we can never please!” Bumi, Kya, and Lin said in unison before swallowing their drink. Tenzin remained silent, but drank his non-alcoholic shot. 

Ever since they all started drinking, those words have been repeated in every single one of Team Avatar 1.5 meetings. According to the urban myths, Izumi and Bumi were so wasted one night that they started complaining about the _original_ Team Avatar, and with one thing leading to another, there they were, saying the same words over five years later. 

Tenzin got angry the first time he was introduced to their little saying, but even he admitted that their struggles and resentments were valid. The airbender had lost count on how many times he had been called “Aang 2.0”, after all. 

Being the sons and daughters of heroes who saved the world surely took its toll on any kid, no matter if they were a princess, cop, or monk. From Ember Island to Omashu, no one in the world could ever understand Izumi, Bumi, Kya, Lin, and Tenzin better than they understood each other. No friend Lin had ever made could even _begin_ to comprehend the kind of pressure she was constantly under, no friend but the four people she currently shared seats with at a gay bar. 

A funny thing, really. They weren’t related by blood nor they had chosen one another, however, Lin suspected Team Avatar 1.5 would last forever. They were all so different, sometimes polar opposites, but still, they always found the path back to each other. _“Cheers to the shared mommy and daddy issues, I guess.”_ Lin thought bitterly to herself while drinking the other shot she had ordered. 

“Where’s Suyin?” Izumi asked. 

“At a friend’s house. Somehow, _she_ convinced the Chief to let her skip the ball.” Lin answered. 

“Were _you_ trying to skip the party but Toph wouldn’t let ya?” Kya invited herself to the conversation. 

“I didn’t say that.” 

“But that’s what you meant!” Kya grinned while putting her drink down. “I’m going to dance, does anyone care to accompany me?” 

Lin didn’t bother answering.

“Gotta get a lot drunker before I hit the dance floor, sis.” Bumi said and Izumi agreed with him. Tenzin was way too shy to dance in public places, even if the public place in question was way too dark and filled with way too many drunk people. 

Kya was the only one who inherited her father’s dance genes, while Bumi and Tenzin needed encouragement to get up from their seats, just like Katara. Even after all those years, Lin still found herself surprised by the fact that _Kya_ wasn’t the airbender heir. 

But maybe, if she were, Kya wouldn’t be half as free-spirited as in reality. Having the weight of an entire nation on your back changed a person and Lin, out of all people, knew this. Oh, Lin knew this better than _anyone_.

"So, did you take care of whatever business you had with the Air Acolytes?" Lin turned to Tenzin. 

"Oh, yeah." He quickly averted her gaze. When Lin didn't say anything for a couple of seconds but he could still feel her eyes on him, Tenzin realized she was waiting for an explanation. "They were expecting me to stay longer, I guess. I kinda had promised them I would show that the ball could be a great thing for the Air Nation, with all the diplomats and politicians. A good way to make new friends in different places, you know?"

Lin frowned. Even without her seismic sight, the metalbender could feel that Tenzin was hiding something from her. She decided not to push it, Lin herself had things she didn't share with Tenzin, privacy and boundaries were good things. The earthbender trusted her fiancé, she knew that when he felt ready, Tenzin would share whatever it was that the airbender wasn't telling her. 

"I think I do." Lin answered. "Are you sure you wanna stay here? I mean, it obviously means a lot to you to be with the Air Acolytes..."

Tenzin finally met his fiancée's eyes. "Well, we just got here and-"

"It's okay, I don't mind." The earthbender interrupted him, sincerely. "I mean, don't ever say this to her, but Kya _does_ have a point. We don't know how to have fun when responsibilities are hanging over our heads. So, if you wanna go be with the Air Acolytes, I'll support you. Just say I had a headache and you accompanied me home but I insisted for you to go back. I assure you, everyone will either be too drunk to notice or won't care." 

From the smile Tenzin gave her, Lin knew she had made the right call. And it hit her at that moment exactly _how_ and _why_ she let herself get caught up in that situation; to make Tenzin happy. The metalbender loved her best friend so much that she thought there was nothing in the world she wouldn't do for him.

Tenzin took her hands on his and kissed them. "Thank you so much, Lin. I guess we'll see each other back at the apartment? Don't stay up too late!" 

And with that, he left the club. Lin _wanted_ to feel bad for the absence of her fiancé on a night out, but that feeling never came. Instead, what settled in her chest was the familiar guilt; guilt for not missing Tenzin while he was gone, guilt for _insisting_ him to go. Lin was so sure it was the correct decision to let him go, but maybe this wasn't how she was supposed to act. Wouldn't a _good_ fiancée want her future husband around? Why was she so bad at being a good girlfriend? 

_"That's why I hate nights out, with too much alcohol involved and too much free time in your hands, you start thinking way too many thoughts."_ And, right now, Lin didn't want to think. So, she ordered a couple more shots, hoping they could get these feelings out of her chest. 

Lin drank one of the shots quickly and looked over at Bumi and Izumi, who didn't even seem to realize that Tenzin had left. Well, Izumi was currently trying to see how many peanuts she could fit into Bumi's mouth, so no wonder they didn't notice the airbender's absence. 

Lin rolled her eyes while swallowing the remaining drink, asking herself how the hell two of the smartest people she knew could share a single brain cell when they were together.

Maybe 10 minutes went by, maybe half an hour, and she was seeing how Bumi and the Fire Princess got drunker by the second (and, if Lin was being honest to herself, her own vision was starting to get a little blurry). Kinda bored of staring at her drink and then at the two idiots she called friends, Lin turned to the dance floor. A mistake, really, because when she turned, there was Kya, dancing on the fucking _stage._

The police officer tried, but she couldn't take her eyes off the waterbender. The way her hips moved to the rhythm of the music, the way her hair fell at all the perfect places, the way she knew _exactly_ what to do with her body... Lin asked for one more drink.

The sergeant didn't know what the feeling on her chest was called, or maybe Lin didn't dare to name it. It was more than finding Kya beautiful, it was a sensation of wanting to _be_ there, but Lin didn't know if she wanted to get up on that stage _with_ Kya or _as_ Kya. The metalbender knew her hips would never sway like that nor her face would be illuminated by the neon lights in the way like Kya's was. Lin felt the need to run up her hands by the healer's body, to _find out_ how she did it, to _discover_ how she was so... “ _Ugh. Fucking Kya.”_

“I’m gonna dance!” Bumi suddenly announced.

“You know what?! Me too!” Izumi shouted right back at him. She took her glasses off and put them on her purse, then took Bumi by the hand and headed straight for the center of the dance floor. 

Lin stared at them for a couple of minutes, too shocked to move. Izumi clearly had two left feet, but so did Bumi, and they were shaking their arms and bodies in the funniest ways possible; and honestly, nobody cared. Not a single soul gave a fuck about the two weirdos dancing in the middle of the club. Strangely, that comforted Lin. 

The sergeant was so distracted by Izumi and Bumi, she didn’t notice Kya coming in her direction until the waterbender was right in front of her, with a sly smile and two buttons of her blazer open. 

“So... Are you _really_ not going to dance?” 

With her inhibitions low due to the alcohol, Lin decided it was time to make the waterbender taste a bit of her own poison, so she made sure to give a flirtatious answer to the healer. 

“Is this an invitation, Kya?” The older woman as taken aback, but her smile grew.

“Yes, Beifong. Yes, it is. Do you wanna hit the floor with me?” The waterbender offered her hand to Lin, with her voice sounding soft even to her own ears. 

Lin wasn't sure what made her do what she did next, maybe it was the alcohol in her system, maybe it was the fact that nobody would even be looking in their direction or maybe it was how gorgeous Kya looked in that dimly lit club, which made Lin’s heart skip a beat. It didn't matter, cause the next thing she knew, Lin was taking Kya’s hand and letting herself be guided to the dance floor. 

Kya took her to a dark spot, mostly away from the crowd, because well... Lin accepted her invitation, but the healer knew for a fact that the cop wouldn’t be dancing on the stage any time soon. 

Lin stood there awkwardly, not sure what to do with her hands and legs and body. She tried to mimic Kya’s movements, but was epically failing, and not even the alcohol was helping the metalbender.

“Alright, turn around, I’m gonna show you how to do it.” Kya said, which made Lin tense up even more, and, of course, the waterbender noticed that. “Trust me, I know what I’m doing.” 

Lin huffed but did what she was told, wondering _how the hell_ she would learn anything if she couldn’t even see Kya. Her doubts, however, were rapidly silenced when the metalbender felt Kya’s hot breath on the back of her neck. 

“May I?” Kya’s sultry voice was the only thing Lin could focus in that loud club and she didn’t have much strength to deny the waterbender anything at this point, so she just nodded. 

Kya placed her hands on Lin’s hips and started to move them from one side to another, accompanying the song playing over their heads. Lin swallowed dryly, but didn’t stop Kya. In fact, she did the opposite, Lin encouraged the waterbender to continue and so the healer did. 

Kya pressed her body against Lin’s back and _oh_ , was the alcohol doing its job. In no time, Lin’s hips were moving on their own accord, with almost no help from the waterbender at all.

Feeling the way Lin danced against her was _too much,_ and Kya was sure she would soon lose any remain of control she still had if they kept going. 

The waterbender squeezed her fingers tightly over the satin dress Lin wore, keeping her hands from wandering above. What Kya didn’t expect was hearing Lin’s breath hitching from the action, nor Lin pushing her ass against the waterbender’s body. 

“Fuck.” Kya whispered huskily into the sergeant's ear.

Lin felt so dizzy and she couldn't tell anymore if it was because of the drinks in her bloodstream or just the Kya-effect. She couldn't feel anything but Kya's fingers (that had failed to keep still on her hips) traveling through her body, going from her waist to her thighs, pressing and burning and gripping. Both of them knew if it wasn't for the metalbender's dress, her skin would be covered with nail marks by now. 

None of them could tell how much time had passed - it felt like seconds and hours simultaneously - the only things keeping them on the ground were each other's rough touches and soft noises, shortened breath, and sweaty bodies. 

Lin had never felt like this, never felt like the only thing keeping her on this Earth was Kya’s warmth, never felt so carefree and weightless and, and... well; young. She was just one more person in the crowd, no loving fiancés to be burdened with, no demanding mothers silencing her, no voices in her mind telling her that this - the dancing and Kya - was wrong. No thoughts, just the blaring music and the deafening whispers escaping Kya’s lips; no pressure on her chest, just the rhythm of her body and Kya’s fingers tracing her in the exact right places. A part of her wished this could last forever, the same part of her that Lin kept hidden underground, locked with a thousand keys. 

Suddenly, Kya stopped dancing. Lin turned to her, a confused look on her face. 

“Bumi is calling for us.” The waterbender explained, while looking over the other woman’s should. Bumi was calling for them. Oh. _Oh._

”We should go.” Lin took a step back, not being able to look Kya in the face. She was coming down quickly from her high and realizing exactly what she’s done, what she had allowed herself to do. 

“Yeah. Yeah, we should.” The hurt in Kya’s voice was undeniable, but Lin didn’t have any space left in her mind for it, so she just pushed that notion down. 

When they arrived at the spot Bumi was standing, Lin noticed he could not look Kya in the eye as well, so he spoke directly to her. 

“Izumi is in a bad shape, could you...?” 

“Yeah, I will get her home, don’t worry.” Wanting to get out of there as fast as possible, Lin finished his sentence and left the siblings without another word in search of Izumi.

When she found the Fire Nation Princess asleep on one of the tables of the club, Lin thanked the spirits Izumi was unrecognizable without her golden crown and formal attire. She was just one more fire citizen tasting freedom for the first time and getting a little bit carried away. 

Lin woke her up and put one of the groggy princess’ arms around her shoulder, basically carrying her to the club’s exit. 

“C’mon, you big nerd, let’s get you home.” Izumi said something in response the police officer couldn’t distinguish. 

When they were both inside of one of the taxi-satomobiles and Lin made sure Izumi wasn’t going to throw up, the sergeant put her head against the window and finally let the weight of her choices hit her.

Lin felt dirty and guilty, she felt like a horrible person for letting Tenzin go and dancing with Kya in the meantime. She felt the invisible hands crushing her chest and choking her from inside out. And, on top of all if that, the embarrassment for feeling _so good_ in Kya’s arms filled her lungs, barely allowing Lin to breathe. 

The metalbender put one hand on her mouth and closed her eyes, quieting her sobs while the shameful tears rolled down her cheeks.

_“What the fuck did I do?”_

* * *

Back at the club, Bumi was confused. One minute, he was shouting the latest Republic City’s hits with Izumi, the next, he was seeing his sister and _Lin Beifong_ dancing more intimately than it should ever be allowed, for the sake of his eyes. 

Right now, he was sitting at the bar, with Kya by his side, trying to make sense of all of this. Even with his mind a little cloudy from the alcohol, the captain tried to gather all of his knowledge on Kya and Lin's relationship. They were best friends when they were children. Then, in their teenage years, his sister and the Beifong grew apart, because that's what normal people do; it's just something that happens, right? And now, in their mid-twenties, there were times when they could barely be in the same room, because they annoyed the shit out of each other. So, how do you go from not standing someone to dancing with them in a dark club? 

"Alright, are we gonna talk about what happened back there?" After a few minutes of drinking quietly, Bumi finally broke the silence. 

"There's nothing to talk about." Kya shrugged, not looking in his direction. 

"Hmm... Are you sure? Because I'll go to Lin's apartment right now and ask her to dance with me like that and see if I don't get punched in the face."

Kya rolled her eyes. "You and Izumi were dancing, that's just something that friends do."

"But are you _really_ friends? I mean, you two were close when we were younger, but nowadays... You can't be left alone without getting into an argument." Bumi moved into her field of vision, forcing his sister to face him. "Plus, Izumi and I were singing Secret Tunel at the top of our long twenty minutes ago, _that's_ what friends do." 

Kya didn't say anything after that, just asked the bartender for one more glass of whatever it was that she was drinking. Not ready to give up, Bumi came up with a plan. 

"Y'know, once I kissed Izumi and it was like kissing you."

The waterbender turned to him, with a scandalized look. "Bumi! Gross! Why do you feel the need to say that?!"

"Well, I was gonna say, 'It was like kissing my sister!' but you were right in front of me, so I just made things easier."

Kya rolled her eyes, but let a small laugh escape. 

"Seeeee? I shared a piece of information! Now it's your turn." 

She looked at Bumi, and Kya realized how tired she was. It was tiring wanting someone for so long, it was tiring pretending you didn't care, it was tiring keeping secrets. And there Bumi was, offering her a bit of relief, a scape route, and for once in over a decade, Kya wanted to take it. 

"Raava... I wouldn't even know where to begin." 

Bumi put his hand atop of hers. "Begin from the start."

Kya offered him a faint smile, but gently lifted her hand from under his. Taking a sip from her drink, she focused on the liquid courage running through her veins. 

"I love her." She scoffed and finished the rest of her cup. "And that the worst fucking thing you've heard?" She couldn't bring herself to look him in the eyes, so she just stared at the bottom of her glass. 

Bumi stayed quiet for a few seconds, trying to absorb this new information. Kya loved Lin. Lin Beifong. Their childhood friend. Aunt Toph's Lin. _Tenzin's_ Lin. And his little sister loved her. How...? Why...? What...? Did Tenzin know? 

"How...?" It was all he managed to get out of his mouth. 

Kya's eyes were back on him. "Do you really know?" 

Did he? _Yes._ Yes, he did. Bumi could feel how much pain Kya was in, and he knew that she would be by his side if the roles were reversed. Once again, Bumi took Kya's hands on his and squeezed it, giving Kya all the reassurance she needed. 

"Of course I do."

This time, Kya didn't let go of her brother's hands. 

"Alright, then. Order two more cactus juice shots and let's go back to ten years ago." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can you believe i finally updated this?? because i can not. anyways, can’t promise more often updates cause my college acceptance exams are coming up buuut rest assured that i’m not abandoning this fic!! as always, thanks for reading ❤️


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